Google Voice may soon be integrated with Google Hangouts

If a new report from 9to5 Google proves correct, Google is preparing to end support for Google Voice in the not-too-distant future. For Google Voice fans, the good news is that most of Voice’s features will reportedly be integrated into the Hangouts app instead.

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In short, Hangouts may soon be your one stop destination for just about all forms of communication including SMS messaging, Hangouts messaging, video calling and even possibly free VOIP phone calls using your Google phone number. While Google has yet to confirm or deny plans to integrate Voice into Hangouts, it certainly makes sense.

It’s obvious that Google is working to consolidate as many communicate services into Hangouts as possible. We’ve already seen Hangouts replace both Talk and Messenger, and more recently Hangouts even added SMS support. Perhaps Google Voice and even the traditional phone dialer could be next on the list? Of course, it’s hard to say how carriers would react to the idea of Google providing an easy way to make phone calls with nothing more than a data plan.

If Google really does plan to roll Google Voice into Hangouts, we wouldn’t be too surprised if such an announcement is made at this year’s Google I/O. In the meantime, we’d take the rumor with a grain of salt.

What do you think, would you like to see Google Voice completely merge with Hangouts?

Yes I noticed that also . I guess google is making up for how crappy the iOS version of google voice is .

Avai

I wish the Android version would get calling like the iOS version has. If I can only take one device with me somewhere, I always chose my tablet instead of my phone because it can do everything else better.

http://wizardelite.com/ wizardelite

Just as long as I don’t lose my Google Voice number I’ll be okay with it.

Keith

I believe FCC regulations won’t allow that to happen, so we should be good.

Chris Thompson

It has been announced, so I wouldn’t be too surprised. If it happens this year it would be nice not having to use the Voice app anymore.

anonymously

Dear Google,

Please, please give the messaging app a better name! Hangouts is still a terrible name for a messaging app.

Thnxbye

Pan_Da

Why should there be a problem from carriers? iOS already has facetime calling which circumvents phone service, and there are a ton more users of facetime than hangout/gvoice users (or at least it seems to me).

Really? I’m with Sprint and I can’t/don’t get pictures in Voice… wish I could. Wonder if there’s just a setting somewhere I’ve missed…

Anonymous

What happens to the Voicemail and transcription services i wonder?

http://yellowrex.com YellowRex

I’m alright with it, so long as I keep my number. I’m happy to have one less app and one less choice to make when I want to send a text. The GV app is not great anyway, Hangouts app is much better. I still find it pretty disconcerting when a video chat rings my phone, though.

cybernet2u

“it’s hard to say how carriers would react to the idea of Google
providing an easy way to make phone calls with nothing more than a data
plan.” oh really … so Skype, Facebook Messenger WhatsApp & Viber don’t already exist ?

Mike

No they should leave it alone. Works good now.

Scott Kay

You can already use apps like Talkatone to make and recieve VOIP calls with Google voice number so I don’t see how introducing this support into Hangouts would be such a major issue. Though the deals with wireless vendors might be strained – though it’s only really an issue with those customers with grandfathered ‘unlimited data’ plans, otherwise the VOIP traffic is still being metered (though VOIP traffic will have neglible effect on data usage totals).

Dilligan

Those apps like Talkatone are going to quit working soon because Google is ending XMPP support, so I’m glad they’re doing this!

GandangaTororo

Given GV is a North America ‘thingy’, what happens of the rest of the world?

iTriune

Google said they’re cutting off api access to third party apps I’m May. There’s your timeline for this happening.

Timmy

So does this mean Google will be a cellular carrier in the near future? TV and Fiber are already there so adding cellular doesn’t seem too far out of the question. Another piece of the integration puzzle.

patrick

If it has MMS, im totally cool with it. I’ve been wanting this feature for a long time! Make it happen Google.

Be a journalist, not a hack

What do I think? Just another lazy, useless blogger. Rather than do research and write an original story, you simply repeated gossip from a third party, and posted it here, adding absolutely no value. Seriously, doing that is nothing more than worthless click-bait.

JosephHindy

Almost every Android blog covered this story. Android Police, Phandroid, Droid-Life, all of them and pretty much all of them said the exact same things.

Did you happen to run over to all of their blogs and let them know? I think you should.

Android-Belgique

internatinal calling

Mike Michael Arthur Johnson

I currently use Google Voice with an OBI “box”. I am AGAINST, integrating Google Voice with Hangouts for several reasons.

1. Hangouts is “clunky” and sometimes (no always) difficult to use – compared with other services.

2. As I travel abroad, I use phones with local international GSM chips and Google does NOT allow Google Voice to be connected to an Android phone unless it has a USA cell number.

3. Google is now requiring your YouTube account to be in Good Standing to use Hangouts. The other day I was prevented from using Hangouts — still for some unknown Youtube violation – and I can’t figure out HOW to clear the problem. My YouTube account works OK.

In my opinion Google is “slopping together” too many things that don’t work well together.

The Google apps are also not friendly and too complex and Android system hogs

Google Voice worked wonderfully as it was and now there are competitive products available at acceptable low costs – Goodbye – Google Voice!

.
.

Swivelgames

I think my biggest issues are as follows:

1. Google Voice does not seem to be maintained actively. The Chrome extension is old as hell and hasn’t been update in quite a long time.

2. The same goes for the GVoice Android App. It works (well albeit), but it hasn’t been kept as up to date as some of the other items out there

3. Google Hangouts has already implemented calling using GVoice, but not messaging? If you’re going to integrate, do it already! Or update the GVoice extension! I’m tired of having to pull up an active window and use the clunky GVoice extension, rather than typing in a name quickly and typing in a message. Google Hangouts’ messaging is great, imho.

4. Google Hangouts has already taken over the role of Default SMS App on Android. It refuses to give me the option to use GVoice anymore. Again, don’t skimp on functionality if you’re not going to go all-in.

Instead of adding GVoice functionality to Hangouts and maintaining GVoice’s current capabilities, they seem to be taking away certain capabilities from GVoice.

My opinion is slightly different than yours, in that I just want them to either implement the functionality into Hangouts, or don’t.

However, I had never heard of that issue with the YouTube account. I wonder how greatly that will affect people trying to use Google Hangouts now that it is the default SMS app for Android. HMMM…

RickT

As of May 15th, the OBI products will no longer support Google Voice. Here is a link to an article:

You can still use your Obi device with a FreeDID from IPComms and continue receiving free inbound calls. You can even add our low 1¢/min domestic outbound service (TalkinIP) and enjoy quality USA & Canada outbound calling. Visit http://www.ipcomms.net/freedid to get your FreeDID.

Marc Gage

Finally! I’ve been waiting for this ever since Hangouts was released!
I’ll now be able to utilize the powerful tools of Hangouts, while using my Google Voice number instead of my obsolete carrier number (which none of my contacts have anymore.) Currently your carrier number is the only way to take advantage of Hangouts’ sms and mms capabilities. Please let this happen as soon as possible!!

ank123

As an ‘international’ user, I can make calls to US phone numbers from Hangout in my Gmail account on my computer. But I don’t know how to call US phone numbers (and others) from Hangout on my Nexus (Android) phone. Will I need Google Voice App for that? I cannot use Google Voice as it is only available in US.

It is strange that I can call US numbers from Hangoung in Gmail (on my computer) but not from my phone (via data — WiFi or cellular data).

Nick

Not a rumor…
See this note on the google play store app. Talkatone.

SPECIAL NOTE TO EXISTING TALKATONE FOR GOOGLE VOICE USERS: Talkatone will continue to support Google Voice users until May 15, 2014. After May 15, 2014 Talkatone users will no longer be able to access Google Voice through Talkatone because Google is discontinuing third party access to Google Voice on that date. We encourage all existing Talkatone for Google Voice users to consider switching to the new Talkatone service, the features of which are described above, prior to May 15, 2014 to ensure a seamless and uninterrupted transition. Happy Talking!

iTriune

The things i’d like to remain is a web app that I can text from and reference my text messages, and the popup option to dial from your carrier number or your GVoice number. Other than that, i’m sure they’ll integrate it just fine. I just want those two things to remain for sure.

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